Family
by Jacinda
Summary: She was a well-kept secret in his life. House never imagined a time when she would become something more than a biologically related stranger.
1. Chapter 1

She was nothing like her father, aside from career choice

She was nothing like her father, aside from career choice. He credited this to her being raised largely by her mother in Kentucky. She thankfully did not have an accent and didn't use slang like 'yah'll.' It made her at least tolerable in his eyes.

Alexis was the product of condom failure when he and her mother were the tender age of seventeen. She also was one of the well best secrets. Her mother's family raised her, and his family occasionally sent them some money. Alexis came to dinner for the holidays, but she was very obviously just a minor bump in the road to House, well becoming House.

He talked to her five, or so, times a year. He, oddly, looked forward to those conversations. Alexis was well-spoken, well-read, and didn't bullshit when it came to what she thought. House credited that to his genes. She was a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Emory. Word was that his daughter was good . . . brilliant is how her department head explained her skill to House at some boring conference Cuddy made him go to last year. He took pride in that; especially, since she did bear his surname.

Wilson had met her several times when she had come to New Jersey for Christmas. Chase had met her once, but that was before he had ever hired Cameron and Foreman. He made Chase swear that her existence would never be discussed in any public forum, private forum, or vacuum. Cuddy had met her several times at conferences. Those were Alexis's only entanglements in his life.

When she said she had been offered, and accepted, a job at Princeton Plainsboro, he made a bee-line to Cuddy's office. He knew that there had to be some Wilson-Cuddy meddling in the background.

"She just lost her mother. All she has for family is unfortunately you. She asked, I made her an offer. That's that," Cuddy said as she reshuffled papers on her desk.

"Unoffer," House replied.

"No, she's what I need to justify building a pediatric ER. Deal with it."

"I will not deal with it. Did you ever think maybe people will get confused that there are two Dr. Houses."

"No, we'll call you 'Mean Dr. House.' We'll call Alexis 'Nice Dr. House,'" Cuddy replied.

"I hope that prints well on our business cards."

"She's your daughter, House. Be happy for her."

With that he stalked out of her office and back to his own. He wasn't at all prepared for a family reunion.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"That's nice. Alexis was a sweet girl," Chase said absentmindedly as he continued to scrub in.

"She's House's daughter. How do we know that she's isn't as pompous as he is?" Cameron asked.

"When I met her, she was sweet and even a little shy."

"When did you meet her?"

"A couple months before he hired you and Foremen. House paid me take her to dinner and out to clubs, so he wouldn't have to deal with her."

"Why didn't you ever tell me he has a daughter?"

"Is it pertinent? Would it have ever been pertinent?"

"After he was shot, it would have been nice to notify his family."

"I called Alexis. She said to take care of her father. She sent him flowers," Chase replied obviously bored with conversation, but he knew Cameron was ready to beat this until it was dead.

"Why do you always need to keep secrets?"

"Because House asked me to."

With that Cameron left. Chase was relieved. He liked Alexis. She was smart, pragmatic, and straight-forward. When she spoke, it was always something relevant to the conversation. He respected that. Chase enjoyed it enough to occasionally exchange emails and telephone calls with Alexis.

One of the first things she has said to him was something along the lines of 'what the hell do you do in New Jersey . . . aside from the drug habit my father thinks is entertainment." She said it without missing a beat with the same dry sense of humor he had come to expect from House. That night Chase took her out for dinner and drinks, then to a club. The conversation had been pleasant. Alexis was striking . . . very easy to look at. Tall like her father; dark brown hair and eyes with soft facial features. They ended up leaving the club at 2 am and going back to Chase's apartment for a night cap. House never noticed that Alexis didn't come back home that night. Chase told him they had gotten out of the club late and Alexis was drunk, so he wanted to watch her . . . make sure she was okay. If House was suspicious, he never let on. Chase never volunteered that he had indeed slept with his boss's daughter. Nor did Chase ever volunteer that he continued to sleep with his boss's daughter whenever she was in town.

He grinned as he finished scrubbing. This was going to get interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dad, you can avoid me all you want, but that's doesn't change the fact that I'm here, and I just might need you to be a father right now. Fine, don't answer your messages," Alexis hissed into her cell phone.

She sat patiently at the bar of a restaurant she had never been at before. Alexis swirled her martini before kicking back the last of the clear liquid. Chase had promised to meet her tonight. He said that he could give her a primer on Princeton-Plainsboro and all the people entangled in it. She looked forward to seeing him. Alexis imagined that this might be the only friendly face that she would encounter at and outside of work. If anything, she hoped Chase would have some insight as to why her father was bound and determined to push her away.

Watching her mother die was the final tailspin that induced all the rash decisions she had made. Running across the country to a job she was leery about taking and a father that was never much of a father weren't the best laid plans. Alexis clung to the hope that being near the last of her blood relatives would be enough to make this upheaval of her life worth it.

"Lexy, it's good to see you again," Chase said as he sat next to her.

"At least someone feels that way," Alexis sharply countered as she watched Chase wave down the bartender and order for both of them.

"House is House. You cannot expect him to deal with change well," Chase said as he turned to her and put his large hand over her much smaller one.

"I needed to be near him. It's insane, but I feel like I need to be here," Alexis replied softly.

"I know. I'm glad you're here. I always thought someday you would wind up here,"

"Only by the way of bad luck and Cuddy's desire to build a pediatric emergency room."

"Your bad luck is my gain," Chase replied as he squeezed her hand.

Alexis smiled. In an instant, she felt safer than she had in the last year. She had spent a year learning the foreign territory of taking care of a dying parent. Alexis had learned the finer points of accessing ports, administering TPN, sponge baths, and intractable vomiting. She could only shake her head and go straight into the crash course from hell. There was no one left to share that burden with. Her grandparents were dead and she came from two single children. Alexis never mentioned her pain and her mother's suffering to her father, despite knowing he might understand.

"You're still cute, Robert. Always saying the right thing," Alexis said with a smile.

"Lexy, you know me," he replied.

Chase enjoyed her company more than he would ever admit. She wasn't an 'easy lay' like Foreman had described so many of the other women he had been associated with. Lexy was a vacation from Cameron's insecurities, demands, and pressures. Lexy read like a book. She never asked for commitment; she didn't seem at all interested in discussing a future.

"So are you still going to take me home?" Alexis asked as she sipped her drink.

"Are we still going to sneak around?" Chase replied.

"Only if that's what's going to make you happy. I wouldn't want my father to punish you any more than the punishment you already asked for by working for him."

"It's wouldn't be the last or the first time I pissed him off," Chase replied.

"Well, I am a source of eternal disappointment and embarrassment for him, so . . ."

"Lexy, I'm sure that's a little bit of an overstatement. I cannot imagine you disappointing him more than Cuddy," Chase replied with a soft chuckle.

"So does that give you carte blanche to do whatever you want to your boss's daughter?"

"If she lets me."

* * *

"She's your daughter," Wilson said exasperated by the man laying across his office couch.

"That's the problem. She might as well be a stranger with the same last name," House replied as he stretched a little deeper into the cushions.

"Well, you might as well get to know her. She's the last of your family to be alive and interested in forming a relationship with you."

"It's not that simple. You don't just make up for thirty-some years of not being around just like that," House said with a snap of his fingers to illustrate his point.

"Well, you could start by talking to her."

"About what?"

"I don't know. Talk about work, the weather . . . something," Wilson replied as he shook his head.

House sighed. He couldn't begin to imagine what Alexis could possibly want from him. House couldn't even fathom what to ask her. Their last conversation was about a medical conference that she presented at. He didn't dare ask about her mother. She didn't dare to bring it up.

"House, listen to that voicemail again. She needs you," Wilson said.

* * *

"So you really think I'm going to like it here?" Alexis asked with one eyebrow raised as she ran a finger in lazy circles on Chase's abs.

He pulled her closer and kissed the crown of her head. Chase ran his fingers through her hair. She was just as he remembered; she was soft and her lips tasted like vodka and cherry lip gloss. He smiled.

"Lexy, you will. You will have your own pediatric ER to run," he replied.

"Robert, that's not why I came here."

"I know, but one day at a time. I'll be here . . . "

"Robert, I've always liked being in your bed. This might be the only place in New Jersey that I like," she replied.

"Well, then I need to work harder to make this the only place you love to be."

"What if I resist all your attempts?"

"Resistance is not an option, Lexy."

She couldn't help, but to laugh at his self-confidence, if not arrogance. Alexis was fully aware that she would call any other man with Chase's sexual prowess a player. She wasn't the type of woman to allow herself to be played. Alexis counted Chase among the few constants in her life. He was always more than willing to keep her distracted while she was in New Jersey. She was more than willing to follow his lead. Chase felt safe. He, for some unknown reason, made her forget why she hated New Jersey.

"You drive a hard bargain, Robert."


	3. Chapter 3

"And the charts go there when you are finished," Cuddy said as she took Alexis through her whirlwind tour of the emergency room.

Alexis had been gifted with two exam rooms for pediatrics only, a crash cart stocked with pediatric equipment, and the warning that she might want to see some adult patients to generate revenue. She shook her head and followed Cuddy around the hospital. The tour was as unremarkable as she expected. Sterile walls and halls. Staff that feigned excitement that she was going to be joining them. All hospitals essentially looked alike.

"Fantastic," Alexis replied with faux enthusiasm.

"Give me six months to remodel the back hallway and you will have your own work area," Cuddy replied.

"It's really no hurry. I'd prefer to be part of the design and equipment planning," Alexis said as she shook the woman's hand.

"Of course, you are the expert," Cuddy replied, "Did you want to go by House's office?"

"No, I'd rather start to settle into my own office."

Cuddy escorted her to the tiny office that afforded her a view of the ambulance bay and all the noise that went with it. She preferred it that way. Alexis busied herself unpacking the contents of her satchel and the boxes she had FedEx'ed ahead of her. Medical texts, folders of uncompleted research, and a picture of her and her mother taken far too many years ago.

"Lexy, they sure have you tucked away from the rest of the world," Chase said as he stood in the doorway.

"Well, look who got himself out of bed this morning," she replied.

"It would have been easier if you had woken me up before you left," he replied.

"That would have only led to more distraction and both of us being late."

"True," Chase said as he walked into her office and closed the door, "But, I wouldn't have minded the distraction."

"Are you trying to lure me back to your place tonight?"

"Lure? You make me sound less than honorable," Chase said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He pulled her closer to him, shocked that she hadn't resisted. After the long conversation about professionalism that she had given him, he had expected Alexis to push away any advances. Chase did enjoy that she seemed to be a most willing partner in crime.

"Don't you have disease to cure?"

"That would require your father to pick a case and get his ass out of bed," Chase said softly as he kissed her.

"You sure enjoy flirting with disaster," Alexis replied with a chuckle.

"You only get to live once," he replied.

"Are you going to philosophize or wax poetic about how utterly messed up all this is?"

"No, I was hoping that you would want to have lunch with me. I'm stuck in the hospital until House shows his face for the day. The rest of his team seems to be rather curious as to what his offspring is like," Chase said.

"Hmmm. What if I'm not interested in satisfying anyone's curiosity?"

"You are dangerous. You're going to get me into a lot of trouble, Lexy," Chase whispered softly in her ear as he began to slowly kiss the slope of her neck and her clavicle.

* * *

"Where the hell is Chase?" House demanded as he skulked around the office.

"He went for coffee about half an hour ago," Taub replied completely uninterested in any of the drama that was unfolding around him.

"Where the hell is he getting his coffee from? Columbia?" House replied.

"Let's just start on the case. I will fill him in later," Foreman said as he opened the folder.

"Page him," House growled.

House wasn't interested in the normal banter today. He was wondering where the hell his daughter was after he pounded on her door for twenty minutes last night and called her four times. Her landlord finally let him in after House showed no signs of stopping. Alexis's apartment was immaculate. The boxes she had yet to unpack were neatly placed in the corner. Her magazines were organized alphabetically. House was tempted to delve further into his daughter's life, but he noticed the flowers on the table. The bouquet of red roses was out of place. It didn't belong in the home otherwise decorated in creams and golds. House looked at the card despite his best judgment.

_Lexy, Drinks at 8. My place for a night cap afterwards. –Robert_

The note was rather innocuous on its own, but coupled a distinct absence of a toothbrush in the bathroom; House knew night caps weren't going to signal the end of the night. House's body shook with anger. He had trusted Chase with his daughter during countless visits to New Jersey. Alexis would always stay with Chase after going out to dinner because 'looks like she isn't genetically bred to hold liquor like you do; poor girl, cannot even handle a glass of wine.' He was going to punish Chase despite the logical part of his brain thinking that his daughter was a grown woman.

"Sorry, I was just buying Alexis some coffee and showing her around," Chase said as he hurried into his chair.

"I'm sure. Wouldn't want her to go without coffee," House replied.

"So when do we get the pleasure of meeting the daughter you've told us so much about?" Foreman sarcastically quipped.

"Seems that she's been a little busy since settling into New Jersey. Didn't even have the decency to check her voicemail last night, much less answer the door," House replied as he threw the case folder at Chase, "Probably had a little too much to drink."

"Could you possibly be more cryptic?" Taub asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Could you just drop it so we can get to work?" Chase asked knowing somehow House had figured out where Alexis was last night. It occurred to him that he might want to check his landline for bugs. He might just want to toss his whole apartment to make sure House hadn't installed video cameras or God knows what.

"No, let's not drop this. Let's talk about where my daughter was last night," House said as he rapped his cane against the table.

"House," Foreman said as he looked between Chase and House, "Let's get to work. Harassing Chase isn't going to make this man's blood pressure any lower any faster."

"No, I'm curious as to why my daughter needed to pack a toothbrush for night caps," House replied as he glared at Chase.

"This coming from the father that won't return her calls and asked Cuddy to fire her," Chase replied as he locked eyes with House.

"I trusted you with her," House replied.

"No, you asked me to keep her away from you," Chase replied coldly.

House gave up momentarily. He opened the file and read through the labs leaving his team to suffer in silence. Foreman began to talk about the labs and produce a differential that was weak at best. Chase muttered comments through clenched teeth. Taub was thankful that this time he wasn't the one sleeping with the boss's daughter. The tense conversation lasted for twenty minutes before House told the team to get the hell out of his office and go run whatever God dammed tests they wanted to.

* * *

"That's what you get for snooping," Wilson replied as he finished writing on one of his charts.

House had sat in his office for an hour before deciding he needed to talk to someone. He decided that Wilson might be the one to validate how betrayed he felt. House hadn't been expecting Wilson to tell him that after the conversation they had yesterday, he was fairly sure House had no business telling Alexis what to do.

"He's Chase. She might as well sleep with everyone in Plainsboro," House replied.

"Are you more upset that Alexis is having sex or having sex with Chase?"

"She's a doctor. I'm fairly sure that I don't need to give her the birds and bees talk. I'd hope that Mary gave that to her years ago," House quipped.

"You've never cared about whom Chase slept with before . . . besides Cameron, that Swedish girl. Nevermind."

"Look what he did to Cameron," House replied.

"Look what Cameron did to Chase. My advice is that you talk to Alexis and stop torturing Chase," Wilson replied.


	4. Chapter 4

"I want to talk to you," House said as he stood in the doorway of her office.

"If it's the talk I think you are going to give me, Mom told me about that when I was ten," Alexis replied as she finished filing away several journal articles.

"Alexis, I just want you to be careful with Chase. I probably don't have the right to tell you that, but I don't want to see you get hurt," House replied as he nervously tapped his cane on the floor.

"Dad, I know Chase. I know him better than I think I know you," she replied.

"I don't know how to do the father-daughter thing."

"I don't know how to be your daughter."

"Alexis, you never needed me."

"I needed you four months ago. I needed you to help me because I struggled everyday to keep Mom comfortable. I needed you to make some of my suffering go away," she replied.

"I didn't know."

"I didn't want to tell you because . . . I thought maybe somehow you would realize that I needed a dad."

"Is Chase treating you well?"

"He does. He even made me laugh yesterday. God knows, I haven't laughed in a really long time."

"Alexis, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you at all during your life. I got too caught up in mine," House said as he walked away.

* * *

"A penny for your thoughts?" Chase asked as he sat down on the barstool next to her.

"There isn't enough vodka in this city to make today better," Alexis replied.

"Let's not try to test that theory. Let's get you home. We can talk about today in the car."

"He apologized for never being part of my life. I didn't make me feel any better. I always imagined it making me feel better. I don't know what I was expecting," Alexis said as she placed a twenty on the bar and allowed Chase to help her off the barstool.

"Lexy, it's not going to make the past better. All you can hope for is that today gets better," he replied as he stabilized her so she wouldn't fall over.

"You are the one, stable, good thing in my life."

"You are the drunkest thing in my life," Chase teased as he helped her walk out to his car.

"I haven't had that much."

"Lexy, let's go to your place and get you in bed," he replied, "House knows about us."

"That was where my bad day started. I got lectured about not allowing you to hurt me," she replied with a small laugh.

"I got yelled at because you took your toothbrush with you last night. How about if you just keep some of your things at my place?"

"So Dad tossed my apartment? How come that doesn't surprise me? He probably saw the roses and the card."

"You'll have to talk to your landlord about not ever letting him in again. I don't think he is as good at picking locks as I am."

"Robert, thank you," Alexis said as he helped her into the car.

* * *

"Lexy, I've got coffee for you," Chase said as he pulled the shades open.

"No, no sun," she grumbled as she pulled a pillow over her head.

"It's time to wake up," Chase said as he sat on the bed next to her.

"Headache," Alexis replied.

"I thought you didn't have the much to drink last night?" Chase said as he gently rubbed her shoulders.

"I may have underestimated."

"I thought so. I'll get the shower started. I could be persuaded to help you."

"Mmm. I'd like that. Robert, thank you."

"Thank me later when I do something to deserve it," he replied as he helped Alexis sit at the edge of the bed. He put the coffee cup in her hands. She smiled gratefully as he disappeared into her bathroom.

Alexis knew that what she was doing was dangerous. She was well aware that being in New Jersey was enough to fracture the tenuous relationship she had with her father. Having whatever this relationship is with Chase might be enough to obliterate it. There was something about Chase that she was beginning to crave. The first few days she was positive that it was all lust. Now, she was scared that she was beginning to want this to be more than just friends with benefits. Alexis knew what damage was done by Cameron. She knew that the constant pushing and pulling him away had made him nothing less than gun shy. She knew that he was just as alone in the world as she was. Chase had told her about his father's death and the adversarial relationship he had with his father prior to his death. She knew that his mother was cold and distant.

"Lexy, the water is warm," Chase called out.

She pulled the pajamas that Chase must have put her in last night off. Chase was more than appreciative for that fact when he saw her. Alexis did love that she was able to render him speechless.

"Lexy, mmm," Chase said as he pulled her toward him.

"Something you like?"

"I see a lot that I like. Are you going to be okay?" Chase asked as he swept her hair off her shoulders

"I'm fine, Robert. I want this, and you are wearing entirely too much clothing," she replied as she kissed him.


	5. Chapter 5

"You seem remarkably normal for being House's daughter," Taub said as he finished his coffee.

"Funny thing . . . I get that a lot around here," Alexis replied.

"I'm sure you do. House is one-of-a-kind," he replied with a laugh, "Thank you for the coffee. Are you positive that you are really his daughter?"

"Yes, Chris. I'm positive. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm trying to dispel rumors that I'm as rogue as my father. I've worked my way through most of administration and the surgery department."

"If you intend on buying a cup of coffee for everyone House has offended, for your sake, I hope you make a lot of money," Taub replied as he tossed out the empty coffee cup.

He had been pleasantly surprised that Alexis had introduced herself and offered to by coffee when they ran into each other in radiology. She was courteous and well-spoken. Alexis seemed normal. Taub had a hard time wrapping his brain around the fact that anyone descended from House could be normal. House even had a way of making people around him crazy. Taub was learning this first hand from how House would treat Chase. House often tore into Chase for no apparent reason. Chase would back down and take the abuse. Taub imagined that Chase was doing this to protect Alexis. Taub was so curious that he invited Chase and Alexis to come to dinner with him and his wife. Both gladly accepted. He was eager to watch the two interact.

"I met Alexis," Taub said as he walked into House's office, "She seems normal."

"Thus implying that I'm not," House replied as he looked up from the computer screen.

"It's hard to picture her being your daughter," Taub replied.

"People have been saying that to me a lot lately. Cuddy has already volunteered to pay for the DNA testing."

"She seems to really care about Chase."

"Not again, you are the third person to come into my office and tell me that my daughter is happy with him. Maybe you should talk to Chase about your experience with sleeping with the boss's daughter," House growled.

* * *

"Linda, could you please draw a CBC and blood culture on the baby in my peds room. I'll get the urine and do the spinal tap when you're done," Alexis said to her nurse, "Oh, I already talk to the family about why their baby needs to be admitted for neonatal fever.

"Sounds good, Dr. House," Linda replied as she pulled the patient's chart from the rack.

"Please call me Alexis. I'm going to go splint the boxer's fracture really quick," Alexis replied as she pulled a chart and scribbled a few notes.

"So you're Alexis?" Cameron asked as she also grabbed a chart from the rack.

"Yes and you're Cameron. My father talked about you every once in a while," Alexis replied.

"House never talked about you. Chase didn't either," Cameron replied as she tried to size up Alexis.

"Would you if my father threatened you? It's not like my father is all bark and no bite," Alexis replied.

"I'm sorry. This isn't the conversation I intended you have with you," Cameron replied as she opened the chart, "Did you sleep with Chase when we were married?"

"No, we had drinks once. I'm not like my father. I'm still able to respect other people and their feelings . . . sounds like my father took that away from you," Alexis said as she walked off to an exam room.

Cameron stood staring at her. She had gotten the answer that she needed, not that it mattered anymore. Cameron was well aware that she pushed Chase away. She was never satisfied with him. He didn't want her to fix him. She wanted to fix everything.

She looked around the ER to see if anyone had witnessed the exchange. Cameron might have blushed a little. She was surprised to see Chase standing not but five feet away. The look on his face gave away that he had heard the entire conversation. Cameron could see his jaw tighten as he approached her.

"Cameron, you are a lot of things. Nice was always one of the redeeming qualities that made up for your paranoia, clinginess, and rash decisions," Chase said as he walked up to her.

"I needed to know. Chase, I see you with her. You never looked at me the way you look at her," Cameron weakly replied.

"You are the one that filed the paperwork. You are the one that didn't want to work on our relationship. Don't make this about you being the victim," Chase replied as he walked off in the direction Alexis had.

"You never fought for me like that," Cameron whispered to herself.

* * *

"Working late tonight?" Alexis asked as she walked into House's conference area. Foreman, Taub, and Chase were pouring over a chart, "I brought coffee and sandwiches. I don't imagine my father has ever thought to feed you all."

"Thank you," Chase said as he motioned for her to take a seat next to him.

"Okay, it's well passed midnight. Tell me the patient's story. You all really need someone with fresh ears to listen," Alexis replied as she placed the white Styrofoam containers housing the sandwiches and the carafe of coffee on the table.

"21 year old female with left sided central vision loss and macular hemorrhage in that eye. No history of hemophilia, bleeding disorders, or vascular malformations," Taub said.

"What does she do for a living? Air force pilot? Anything involving fast accelerations and decelerations," Alexis asked.

"She's a Princeton student," Foreman replied.

"Ask her when she went bungee jumping," Alexis replied.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Foreman asked.

"It would make sense with a unilateral single lesion. Something happened to cause a fast acceleration and sudden deceleration. If she was upside down, that caused increased vascular pressures in the eye. A single AVM would likely be weak enough to rupture. I would check her liver," Alexis replied.

"Why the liver?" Chase asked intrigued.

"The birth control she's on; it's stimulating angio-growth factors. Her liver probably has a few AVMs," Alexis replied, "Eat something. The eye will be fine as long as someone thought to decompress the hematoma."

"You really are your father's daughter," Foreman replied.

"It's just a guess and slightly more probable than most of the things on your differential," Alexis replied.

"I'll go ask about extreme sports," Taub said as he got up from the table. Foreman followed after him curious.

"So when do I get to take you home?" Alexis asked Chase.

"Whenever the work is done. Has anyone ever told you that you're brilliant?" Chase asked.

"Maybe once or twice. I miss you. I was lonely in bed . . . I wanted to roll over and see you next to me," Alexis replied.

"That's where I want to be. Lexy, I'll be home soon. I promise," Chase said as he kissed her.

"I have tomorrow off," Alexis replied.

"Good. That means I can tire you out when I get to your place. We can sleep in tomorrow," Chase replied.

"Drive safe, Robert. Here's my spare key. I'll be waiting," Alexis said as she placed the key on the table in front of him.

* * *

"Lexy, are you still awake?" Chase said as he walked into her apartment. The last hour seemed to move as slowly as possible. All he wanted was to get home. He even thought of her apartment as home.

"Bedroom. Just doing a little reading," Alexis called our.

Chase pulled off his jacket and placed his wallet, keys, and cellphone on the kitchen counter. He walked to the master bedroom that was located in the back of the apartment. Alexis was laying on top of the duvet wearing lingerie that left little to the imagination.

"How's the patient?"

"Went bungee jumping the evening before her vision loss. Taub and Foreman offered to stay and do the liver scan," Chase said as he began to unbutton his shirt.

Alexis kneeled on the bed and took over unbuttoning his shirt. She ran her fingers along his abs. She slowly finished undressing him. Chase was positive that this was some form of torture. He loved the softness of her skin. Chase loved how her hair smelled like lavender.

He held her close to him after they finished. Chase wanted to keep her there forever. She looked straight into his eyes and something melted. None of the other women he had been with could remotely compare to Alexis. After Cameron, he had been satisfied with easy, stupid women. Chase had excelled at keeping those relationships extremely superficial. When he was with Alexis, he didn't want that anymore. He wanted Alexis.

"Lexy, are you still awake?" Chase whispered.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Alexis replied.

"You are amazing."

"Thank you, but there's something else. I can hear it in your voice," Alexis replied.

"Just thinking about how I don't want to go back to my apartment. I could get used to falling asleep like this," Chase replied.

"I don't want you to either. I want you to stay," Alexis whispered.

"Good."


	6. Chapter 6

"Alexis, it's your father. I'd like it if we could have supper together tonight . . . without Chase. Call me," House said.

House was irritated that Alexis had been letting his phone calls go to voicemail all week. She hadn't spoken a word to him since he apologized to her. Alexis, however, seemed to be rather friendly with Foreman and Taub. He wasn't surprised that she came up with the cause of the macular hemorrhage. House wasn't surprised that she avoided him. It was exactly what he would do.

"I'm leaving for the day. Any nasty comments you want to make before I go home?" Chase said as he walked into the office.

"Ask my daughter to call me," House said quietly.

"I will."

He watched Chase walk away. House wondered what she was thinking after their last conversation. It had left him unsettled. He wondered if there ever would be a chance of him having a relationship with Alexis. He knew it was far too late to mend all the damage done by him being an absentee parent, but he hoped his social ineptness hadn't driven her completely away.

He could remember how tiny Alexis was when she was a baby. House smiled as he thought of the first time he held her. He could remember everything about the moment. House was fairly sure he still had the blanket the hospital had given Alexis. As a young boy, he promised to take care of his daughter. House never felt worse than when he realized that his own daughter didn't call him daddy. He thought that having her close might be his second chance.

* * *

"You should call him. Lexy, he was even nice to me when he asked," Chase said as he watched her write on a chart.

"I need a little time before I'm ready. Robert, I just need a little bit longer," she replied softly.

"Okay, but it's just a phone call. As much as it pains me to say this . . . he's your father. House is trying the only way that he knows how to," Chase replied.

"I know. I'm just trying to figure out what reasonable expectations for our relationship would or could ever be."

"Lexy, give him a chance. I'll be at your place. I'll plan to have supper by myself. When you get home, we'll watch a movie," Chase said.

"Okay, I'll call. You make for a very good voice of reason."

"Unlikely source, since House threatened me with 20 lashes from his cane today."

"Robert, go home. Thank you."

"Lexy, I'll see you tonight."

* * *

"The fish is good. The wine list is okay," House said as he pretended to read the menu despite being a regular at the restaurant.

"What you said the other day . . . thank you for being honest with me," Alexis replied, "Is the roast chicken good?"

"It's okay. The Mediterranean chicken is better though," House replied, "I've made a lot of bad decisions in my life, Alexis. The worst might have been not being around for you."

"Mom always said that you were a genius. She told me about how much she looked forward to your phone calls, even if they were to check in on me."

"Mary was always special. She was my lab partner in chemistry class."

"She showed me pictures of you from high school. I'm sorry my grandparents were so hurtful to you."

"They did what they thought was right for you and Mary. Your mother deserved someone to give her more attention and stability than I ever could."

"She never let anyone do that. She worshipped you from afar," Alexis replied with a small laugh, "Mom liked to read through my medical journals to see what you published. During medical school, I would find her with a journal open on the desk and my medical textbooks open so she could understand."

"Did she ever write the book she wanted to?"

"Towards the end, she wrote her memoirs. Most of it is about you and being pregnant. I think being a journalist was always just a side job. She really loved being a mother."

"She was good at it. Look at how normal you are. I don't think many people believe that you are my daughter."

"I hear that a lot. Taub's theory is immaculate conception," Alexis said with a laugh, "I like this."

"I do, too. Is Chase treating you well?"

"He's the one that made me call you. He also told me about you threatening 20 lashes with your cane."

"I want you to be happy. I just know Chase . . . I've seen him hurt people he cares about."

"Then he isn't too different from us."

"Just make sure he takes good care of you."

"Please try to go easy on him. He really does want to make you happy. Chase wants you to approve of him."

"Chase can be such an idiot sometimes."

"He's an idiot that cares about me and for some reason cares about you."

* * *

"Lexy, how was supper?" Chase asked as she walked through the door.

"It was good. I should thank you for making me call him. I had a good time," Alexis replied as she sat on the couch next to him.

"Good. I missed you," he replied as he sat forward and kissed her.

"I missed you, too. Dad wants us to go out to supper with him this weekend."

"Really?" Chase asked as he arched an eyebrow.

"His reason isn't much different than Taub's. He wants to make sure that you are treating me well and you make me happy."

"I know. I thin Taub just wants to be nosy. Foreman, however, is genuinely interested in getting to know you better."

"I like them. I'm glad they've been good friends to you over the last few months."

Chase was well aware what she meant by that comment. He thought about Kutner and his divorce. It was hard for him to admit that he needed Foreman to keep him from drunkenly going home with any woman and Taub to push him harder at work. He had used work as a crutch to get him through the day.

"They have been. I'm lucky."

"No, I'm the one that's lucky," Alexis replied.


End file.
